How '2 Broke Girls' Star Beth Behrs Overcame Her Anxiety

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The actress opens up about self-care, her go-to healthy weeknight dinner recipe, and how fame made her panic attacks worse.

Jacqueline Andriakos

June 20, 2017

Beth Behrs, star of 2 Broke Girls and author of the new book The Total ME-Tox ($16; amazon.com) opens up to Health about her approach to health and wellness. The actress credits her upbringing with helping her stay balanced: "Growing up, we were always riding bikes and going on hikes," she says. "My parents exercise as part of their day-to-day. It's not just about weight loss but staying stress-free." Here, Behrs tells us how she eases anxiety, what makes a body makeover actually stick, and more.

A "me-tox" means…

Realizing that self-love equals empowerment. The emphasis is self-care. It’s about doing whatever you need to do that makes you feel good and leads to more self-love.

I’ve had to overcome…

Panic attacks and anxiety. When I booked 2 Broke Girls, I was sharing a one-bedroom apartment and eating Top Ramen. Then my whole life changed overnight. I remember wearing, like, an on-sale Forever 21 dress to a big event and looking around at all these girls who had spent thousands on a stylist. There was so much that was changing that my panic attacks had gotten way worse. I learned Transcendental Meditation, and I prioritize it and make time to do 20 minutes twice a day. It has helped tremendously.

I’m still working on…

Being less attached to my phone. You sit on the couch with it when you get home from work, or you get up in the morning and it’s the first thing you grab. I’ve been trying really hard to leave the phone somewhere else and just play with my dog or read a real book, as opposed to being on Instagram or Facebook.

To succeed at your health goals…

Find something that’s fun and approachable. If you have a workout that you hate, why put yourself through that? Same thing with food. It’s about balance.

My go-to weeknight dinner is…

Chicken and spinach salad. I’ll make lemon chicken and a super-easy dressing with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, honey, and finely chopped parsley and garlic, and just throw it all over a bed of spinach.